o veiled, who, preceding her through the mist, went on
swiftly before her down the road. Nor did she pay the slightest attention
to the fact until a turn in the road brought her suddenly face to face
with two persons who stood deep in conversation under the shelter of
the tall, misty hedge-row.

As Vera approached these two persons sprang apart with a guilty
suddenness, and revealed to her astonished eyes--Beatrice Miller and Mr.
Herbert Pryme.

CHAPTER XVII.

AN UNLUCKY LOVE-LETTER.

Heaven first taught letters for some wretch's aid,
Some banished lover, or some captive maid.

Pope, "Eloisa and Abelard."

To ascertain rightly how Mr. Pryme and Miss Miller came to be found in
the parish of Tripton at nine o'clock in the morning, standing together
under a wet hedge-row, it will be necessary to take a slight retrospect
of what had taken place in the history of these two people since the time
when the young barrister had spent that memorable week at Shadonake.

The visit had come to an end uneventfully for either of them; but two
days after his departure from the house Mr. Pryme had been guilty of a
gross piece of indiscretion. He had forgotten to observe a golden rule
which should be strongly impressed upon every man and woman. The maxim
should be inculcated upon the young with at least as much earnestness as
the Catechism or the Ten Commandments. In homely language, it runs
something in this fashion: "Say what you like, but never commit yourself
to paper."

Mr. Pryme had observed the first portion of this maxim religiously, but
he had failed to pay equal regard to the latter. He _had_ committed
himself to paper in the shape of a very bulky and very passionate
love-letter, which was duly delivered by the morning postman and laid at
the side of Miss Miller's plate upon the breakfast-table.

Now, Miss Miller, as it happened on that particular morning, had a
very heavy influenza cold, and had stayed in bed for breakfast. When,
therefore, Mrs. Miller prepared to send a small tray up to her daughter's
bedroom with her breakfast, she took up her letters also from the table
to put upon it with her tea and toast. The very thick envelope of one
of them first attracted her notice; then the masculine nature of the
handwriting; and when, upon turning it over, she furthermore perceived a
very large-sized monogram of the letters "H. P." upon the envelope, her
mind underwent a sudden revolution as to the sending